Our Teams

Global presence, local expertise

With established teams in New Zealand, Australia, Europe, North America, South East Asia and China, we have a growing team of accredited practitioners now in the UK and US. Together we are able to deliver a consistent experience in resilience training and leadership development for our clients across multiple territories. Below you can get to know our team in each location and understand the range of skills we can offer.

Dr Sven Hansen is the founder of The Resilience Institute. From a medical family, Sven joined Pathfinders, a special forces team in South Africa, before completing medicine. His passion for sport and flow took him into sports medicine and a personal practice in resilience.

Asking if organisations might be interested in applying sports science to good business and leadership, Sven began a corporate health business in 1988. He completed his MBA in 1993 and set about building an evidence-based, integral and practical solution to sustainable performance in life, sport and business.

Over 20 years Sven has worked extensively with High Performance Sport, professional firms, banks, corporates, government, entrepreneurship, universities, and schools. He leads the development of The Resilience Institute’s methodology and is an experienced executive coach, keynote speaker and leadership trainer.

He has a specific interest in developing leadership teams and the application of biological principles to leadership, strategy and resilience in the community. Sven lives in Auckland with Susan and their two children. He is a keen surfer, paddler and kitesurfer.

In 2002, while climbing the ladder to corporate executive, Stuart was diagnosed with Brain Cancer; prognosis 2.5 years. Far from accept the prognosis; Stuart embarked on a journey back to physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual health. Part of this journey included creating The Resilience Institute in Australia to share his experience and philosophy with Australian organisations. Stuart has recently celebrated his 10 year milestone and is going from strength to strength. Prior to joining The Resilience Institute, Stuart was an Associate Director with KPMG and then worked as a senior manager in a global corporation. Stuart has led many of our largest projects with leading Australasian organisations such as GE Money, NAB, Citigroup and Vodafone.

Peta Sigley is a Principal with The Resilience Institute in Australia. She has an extensive business management background including Human Resources, having worked in large corporations (transport and banking) as well as not-for-profit and philanthropic organisations. Her academic credentials include economics, psychology and counselling.

Over the last decade Peta has put her resilience to the test supporting her partner with a chronic illness whilst maintaining her career and family cohesion. Undoubtedly, Peta is a strong role model for her children and those who have witnessed this journey of positivity, courage and optimism. Peta’s client focus includes the transport sector, accounting, banking & finance, education and Not-for-Profit organisations.

Based in Switzerland, originally from Belgium, Alexia is co-founder of the Resilience Institute Europe.
After more than 10 years in the corporate world in marketing and media, Alexia moved to China where she became a professional certified coach and a yoga instructor. She decided then to devote her energy to empower individuals to enjoy a healthier and more fulfilling life.
Passionate about the resilience integral and practical approach, Alexia is a dynamic facilitator who will bring a “yoga” touch to her courses.

Thierry established The Resilience Institute in Southeast Asia and in the UK. He has twenty years of team management, business development and training experience in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia where he has been living since 2004. Before embarking on the journey with The Resilience institute, he was Regional General Manager Greater China for a British listed organization in the service industry.

Thierry holds a Master of Science in Management, he is a certified ACTA trainer & assessor (Singapore Workforce Development Agency), a certified trainer in Emotional Intelligence and in Qigong, an ancient Chinese practice that combines gentle body movements with awareness and breathing for energy and relaxation.

Recent client assignments include keynotes, workshops, coaching programmes and consulting services for organizations like ANZ, AXA, DHL, Ford, Kelly Services, PwC, Shell and Young Presidents Organization. He is a passionate Taichi practitioner and an active runner.

He has worked internationally in South Africa, London and Sydney, before moving to New Zealand. His background is in technology, design, analytics and marketing, with a focus on growth and innovation. Brad has created a number of learning tools, including meCentral.com, used by companies such as SAP, Ernst & Young, 3 Mobile, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and more.

At the Resilience Institute, Brad is focused on helping people realise their potential through the development of practical, evidence-based resilience skills.

Brad’s writing has been featured in international business and travel magazines, including several cover stories, and his non-fiction book Surfing Life Waves made it onto the Amazon bestseller list (for Philosophy) in 2012.

Brad is a dedicated resilience practitioner who enjoys surfing, trail running and videography. He lives in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand, with partner Geniya and his daughter, Anastasia.

Jeremy is a highly successful senior business leader with particular strengths in strategic planning, business development and change management. His background includes general management roles within a number of New Zealand based multinational healthcare companies, business leadership of an Asia-Pacific global information services and publishing company and more recently as a business consultant to health analytics companies in USA, Germany and Asia.

Jeremy has a strong values based leadership style which builds great teams that engender trust and respect. He is passionate about developing leadership qualities that enable people to prepare for future successes. Jeremy draws on excellent communication skills to establish highly credible and enduring relationships with stakeholders.

Jeremy lives in Auckland with his wife Robyn and has two adult children. He is a dedicated runner, and has completed a number of marathons. He enjoys adventure travel recently climbing Mt Kilimanjaro and has refereed rugby for twelve years.

He has a degree in Psychology and has completed a number of leadership courses including the London School of Business.

Bruce leads The Resilience Institute in Shanghai overseeing the development of our training programs in Greater China. Prior to that, he was the Chief Representative of the Shanghai Representative Office and a Managing Director for Avenue Capital Group, a New York based private equity firm. He has over twenty-five years of investment, banking and business management experience in the Americas and Asia, where he has lived since 2005. Bruce specializes in organizational and individual transitions and managing diverse teams. He has led the establishment of new offices, as well as managed acquisitions and restructurings. Bruce holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and is an executive coach. Recent client assignments include multinational companies as well as educational institutions.

Bruce grew up in northern California, graduated from the University of California Berkeley, is an active runner and a vegetarian. Throughout his life he has strived to live by many of the principles of The Resilience Institute, including maintaining a positive outlook, leading a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle and helping others. He now resides in Shanghai with his wife Tess and their three sons.

Based in France, Laurent is co-founder of the Resilience Institute Europe.
For 20 years Laurent held several positions as managing director in the retail industry in the US, Europe and China for start-ups and global companies. Following his strong appeal for Human Sciences, he spent much of his energy on people development and management.
Influenced by his experience in China, he became qigong instructor and incorporates qi-gong practices in his training sessions. Amongst his assignments, Laurent teaches in several business schools.
Laurent speaks French and English.

Myriam is a lawyer by trade (Master’s of Law of the University of Auckland and of the University of Paris-La Sorbonne). Originally from France, Myriam has been living in New Zealand since 2008, and went from law to business management and strategy. She has worked internationally in a range of industries, from property, mergers and acquisitions, to education and personal development.

Passionate about supporting people to reach their full potential, Myriam is our Head of Learning and Development, accompanying our clients through their Resilience journey. Myriam is also part of our workshops’ facilitation team.

Based in Belgium, Katrien joined the Resilience Institute after having lived several years in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

After 15 years of experience in the legal field (first as a legal advisor to the Belgian Prime Minister Dehaene and later as a Magistrate in the Belgian Constitutional Court), Katrien decided to make a career shift as an executive coach when she moved to Asia. She is certified to use the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) and the Workplace Big 5.

Katrien has since then put her energy in helping people achieve their goals, lead with passion, purpose and presence.

Declan joined the Resilience team in 2015 and brings practical experience from both the professional practice field across a number of countries to hands on business knowledge in owning and growing a business from Startup stage. He is dedicated to helping change the culture of business by inspiring a renewed sense of purpose and creativity in the workplace.

Declan is a former Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland and has worked internationally as a corporate tax advisor prior to moving to New Zealand in 2005. He is one of the original founders of SHE Universe group in Christchurch. Declan has held various lecturing positions at a number of universities in Australia and New Zealand and is also a recognised keynote speaker and workshop facilitator.

Manish is a consultant with The Resilience Institute Southeast Asia. Manish is a Certified Professional Facilitator (CPF) & Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner with 14 years of experience in Organisational Change and Leadership Effectiveness.

Prior to joining The Resilience Institute, Manish was Regional General Manager (Asia, Middle East, Africa) for Organisational Development within a top tier multi-national consumer goods company.

Being a coach and an Organisational Development practitioner, Manish holds a wealth of expertise in managing change, team dynamics, leadership development and embedding behavioural changes in personal life or within organisations. He has delivered keynote at various conferences including HR Summit, Manufacturing and Talent Conferences in Singapore and Malaysia. His journey to make a meaningful difference in people’s life led him to leave his corporate career and join The Resilience Institute.

Manish holds an MBA from Asian Institute of Management with additional post-graduate qualifications in Organisational Development from Heriot-Watt University, UK.

Jerome has more than 20 years of experience in industries including marketing communications, manufacturing, real estate and hospitality and professional services. Prior to joining The Resilience Institute, Jerome was a management consultant with PwC Singapore and has served as a CFO overseeing the Asia Pacific region. Today Jerome is committed to follow his passion for human development and devote his energy to help people achieve their goals and achieve the success they want in their lives.

Having an up-close and personal experience on the benefits of resilience, he is passionate in his work to help people using evidence based, practical, and integrated methods to improve and sustain high performance.

Jerome is an experienced facilitator and coach working with a wide range of client groups in areas such as performance management, leadership and team development. His down to earth delivery style and his wealth of corporate experience help him connect well with his participants. Based out of Singapore, Jerome conducts training in Asia and speaks English, Mandarin, Thai and Japanese.

Justin Schaefer is an Accredited Practitioner and Owner of The Resilience Institute – US. As a global executive with 20+ years of experience excelling in leadership roles with Sales, Finance, HR, IT, and Project Management, he brings a highly relevant perspective and message for those aspiring to thrive through adversity, sustain performance and lead stronger.

As a truly global leader, Justin has successfully built and led cross-functional and cross-cultural teams worldwide. He began his resilience journey while on an expat assignment in China. While some of our simpler bounce back strategies were already in place and being practiced, the experience allowed him to identify and fill in gaps, overcome weaknesses and excel in a highly visible and demanding role. Continuing his work in fast moving, complex and changing, publicly traded companies; with high delivery, execution and performance expectations, practicing resilience has become a way of life for Justin.

His dynamic and engaging style enables him to translate his life experiences into evidence based, practical, and integrated methods that teach how to measurably improve and sustain performance. Leaders from many backgrounds, cultures and countries find him easily relatable and can quickly connect with his personal experiences and background.

When Justin and his fiancé aren’t raising their 6 teenagers, he enjoys a broad range of hobbies from fitness, travel, photography and outdoor sports.

Sue Elias is an Office Manager with The Resilience Institute. She has more than 20 years of experience in managing administrative & secretarial functions across diverse industries.

She began her career with the Republic of Singapore Air Force in Air Traffic Control, and subsequently gained corporate management expertise as an Office Administrator with a corporate branding company, an executive search firm and a training consultancy.

Sue brings with her a collaborative & dedicated work ethic, commitment to improving work processes and excellent interpersonal & communication skills.

Based in Lausanne, Randall is originally from the United States.
After working several years in disaster management, Randall worked in marketing with the Credit Suisse Group, and in leadership development with the Swissair Group. He then was the group CEO of an international NGO. Randall has been involved in many networks such as The World Economic Forum, EU-CORD, or YPO.

Academically, Randall has a global role as a Senior Teaching Fellow with the Leadership Centre of Lancaster University (UK). He is also a Doctoral Fellow with a research topic on leadership transition.

Based in Munich, originally from Spain, Carlota lived and worked 20 years in Germany, Ireland, India and China.
After a career as a lawyer in an international law firm and a mediator in a global tourism company, Carlota decided to follow her passion for human development and devote her career to executive coaching, focusing on leadership and creativity.
Carlota is a qualified executive coach and facilitator and is certified to use the Myers-Briggs Type indicator (MBTI®).
Carlota speaks Spanish, German and English.

Alex is passionate about helping individuals enjoy greater health and happiness by being more resilient.

She has had a dynamic corporate career in senior employee engagement and communication roles in Australia and overseas and has a long-held passion for physical and emotional wellbeing. She now loves being able to integrate the two by working in the area of resilience.

In addition to facilitating and consulting, Alex is a coach and feels inspired by helping people overcome stress and achieve greater clarity and focus in their day-to-day lives.
Alex is a long-term yoga practitioner and qualified teacher with special interest in the therapeutic application of yoga and mindfulness practices to counter health challenges such as stress and anxiety.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne and a Graduate Diploma of Counseling.

alex.bowen@resiliencei.com

Monique Slade

Director, Australia

Monique Slade is a facilitator with The Resilience Institute and has worked extensively in the advertising and production industries for multinational agencies in Sydney and Europe.
She has developed the very successful adventure and inspiration company True Spirit, designed to inspire and challenge its participants both physically and mentally. Working with both corporations and charity foundations, Monique has taken participants through life-changing quests to better understand their own levels of resilience. It is this work which has led her to work at The Resilience Institute Australia.

Amanda Purnell is a Senior Manager with The Resilience Institute in Australia. Prior to joining the organisation, she spent 17 years working across Perth, Sydney and Melbourne for leading organisations in the Oil and Gas sector. Amanda has strong business management experience across a variety of disciplines including Strategy, Business Development, Operations and Marketing. In addition to her extensive corporate background, Amanda has a strong interest in her local community and is passionate about contributing to society at a ‘grass roots’ level.
Amanda has witnessed both the benefits of resilience and the negative consequences when it is absent, both personally and in those around her. Amanda’s journey with The Resilience Institute began as a program participant. After undertaking a journey of personal transformation, she eventually made the life changing decision to leave the corporate sector. She is deeply committed to the benefits of adopting the evidence-based principles of The Resilience Institute, empowering others to reach sustainable high performance.
Amanda consistently receives outstanding feedback from clients, who appreciate her collaborative, passionate and engaging facilitation style. Amanda’s clients include Professional Services Firms as well as those in Mining, Oil and Gas, FMCG, Banking and Finance.
Amanda Purnell is a Senior Manager with The Resilience Institute in Australia. Prior to joining the organisation, she spent 17 years working across Perth, Sydney and Melbourne for leading organisations in the Oil and Gas sector. Amanda has strong business management experience across a variety of disciplines including Strategy, Business Development, Operations and Marketing. In addition to her extensive corporate background, Amanda has a strong interest in her local community and is passionate about contributing to society at a ‘grass roots’ level.
Amanda has witnessed both the benefits of resilience and the negative consequences when it is absent, both personally and in those around her. Amanda’s journey with The Resilience Institute began as a program participant. After undertaking a journey of personal transformation, she eventually made the life changing decision to leave the corporate sector. She is deeply committed to the benefits of adopting the evidence-based principles of The Resilience Institute, empowering others to reach sustainable peak performance.
Amanda consistently receives outstanding feedback from clients, who appreciate her collaborative, passionate and engaging facilitation style. Amanda’s clients include Professional Services Firms as well as those in Mining, Oil and Gas, FMCG, Banking and Finance.

Madeleine Shaw is a Senior Manager with The Resilience Institute. In her previous career as a lawyer with leading law firms in Sydney and San Francisco, and then a major multinational corporation, Madeleine had up-close and personal experience of the benefits of resilience.
Madeleine’s formal first steps along the path to resilience began as a participant in a Resilience Institute leadership program in 2007. She became passionate about working with people to help them perform at their best, sustainably and enjoyably. Madeleine is now an in-demand consultant and facilitator. She is a qualified executive coach (accredited with the Institute of Executive Coaching & Leadership) and works with people across a range of roles and sectors, helping them to achieve the success they want in their lives. She works extensively with banks, law firms, financial services organisations, educators, manufacturing and FMCG companies and the public sector. Madeleine’s down to earth style combined with her laser focus gets great results and she loves seeing people make the changes they want in their lives.

Madeleine lives on the NSW central coast with her partner and daughter where she enjoys the change in pace from the working week in Sydney.

Having a science background in physics Robert brings 17 years of business consulting and IT management experience to The Resilience Institute in New Zealand. He has worked on projects in the US, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand where he has lived since 2003. Robert held senior management positions in global organisations like HP and CIBER.

Robert is actively engaged in business development for The Resilience Institute and bringing the resilience methodology to a broader audience. In addition Robert uses his experience as a trainer, lecturer and coach in combination with his curiosity and compassion to facilitate workshops and planning sessions.
Robert enjoys playing soccer and tennis and is an avid furniture designer.

Geraldine is a skilled coach and psychologist. Using our Resilience model as a foundation, she guides clients to go beyond ‘keeping on top of things’ by applying practical skills to develop personal and professional resilience, helping them to sustain high performance and optimal wellbeing.

With professional experience in counselling, psychology, management consulting and operational and strategic human resource management with individuals, teams and organisations, Geraldine has developed great insight into the demands and challenges within large systems. Extensive experience in her psychology practice has given Geraldine insight into how individuals respond to different types of pressure and that resilience can be learned.

Geraldine is often praised by clients for her receptive listening style which enables them to reflect and identify strengths they may be unaware they have. With a personal passion for building resilience, she uses evidence based strategies, particularly drawing on mindfulness practice, to assist individual adults facing a range of life challenges.

Geraldine has worked with senior executives and managers from a variety of industries including financial services and sporting organisations. She offers a warm and person-centered approach to coaching. Geraldine takes a particular interest in helping people become aware of, and freeing themselves from, self-limiting thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Her clients progress towards experiencing greater fulfillment in their work and relationships.

Paul has a distinguished background in leadership in education, with extensive experience in management, program design, staff development, and both teacher training and student facilitation. He has diverse talents, being able to move almost effortlessly between management and operational logistics through to running outdoor challenge experiences, giving lectures or facilitating keynote presentations.

Having spent almost three decades designing and leading programs on school camps, retreats and leadership development pathways, Paul has seen first-hand the positive impact that can emerge from eye-opening encounters and the noticeable difference in outcomes for those who continuously self-reflect and adjust for growth. He is a big advocate for guiding people to broaden their comfort zone and consider “the more” that could further fulfil their lives.

Paul grew up in an army family and has frequently faced the challenge of change throughout his life, attending 9 schools and moving home more than 18 times. He has also lived through the loss of 2 siblings. His belief is that these ‘thrive or flounder’ experiences have fostered his resilience.

Paul is a dynamic and engaging facilitator. He creates authentic connection with participants as they reflect and explore new ways to seek meaning and engagement in the work place, and in their personal lives.

To maintain balance Paul loves to climb mountains and dabble in Architectural design and Project management. He is often found organising exciting holiday adventures for his family and friends, and lead teams of young people on service projects in outback NSW where he has been volunteering since 1992. Having explored dozens of countries, he is an avid traveler with a passionate love of history, culture and community.

With a Mathematics, Psychology and Theology background, Paul’s academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science, ANU, Diploma of Education, University of Canberra, Graduate Certificate of Religious Education, ACU and a Master of Religious Education, ACU.

paul.salmon@springfox.com

Sharon Griffin

Director, Australia

Before joining Springfox Sharon spent over two decades at a leading global professional services firm where she held senior HR roles across the US, UK, Australia and Southeast Asia. Across a number of businesses Sharon developed strategies and programmes, and advised senior leaders and their teams in the following areas: performance and reward, diversity and inclusion, employee engagement, policies, talent acquisition and management, global mobility, acquisitions and post-merger integration.

Sharon’s belief in the fundamental pillars of resilience come from a deeply personal place that she shares openly with her clients and colleagues. Her lived experience has taught her that self-understanding and reflection, a willingness to be vulnerable and a commitment to specific practices can lead to great satisfaction, productivity and performance in life and work.

Sharon’s clients consistently comment on her calm, authentic, caring, and pragmatic approach to all that she does. Her down to earth style and willingness to speak from personal experience allows her to relate to a diverse spectrum of clients at all levels and across various sectors.

Sharon’s primary objective in her work with Springfox is to help organisations and their people achieve optimal impact and results by unleashing the best version of themselves. She firmly believes in the critical role that resilience plays in achieving this objective and her work with clients is focused on integrating resilience principles into business strategy and culture.

Sharon holds a Bachelor of Business from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas (USA). She is also credentialed as an Executive Coach (Level 2) with the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership and a member of the Australian Human Resource Institute (CAHRI).

sharon.griffin@springfox.com

Julie Zhang

Senior Consultant, China

Julie is a Senior Consultant with the Resilience Institute in Shanghai. She is an experienced learning and development leader, an accredited executive coach and a certified Project Manager and Change Agent. Most recently she was with Allianz corporation where she held leadership positions responsible for operational excellence, strategy and IT. She also has worked for professional consulting firms such as EDS/A.T. Kearney, PwC Consulting and IBM. Recent client assignments include Chinese companies and Multi-national Corporations. She received her Bachelors of Arts from Shanghai University in International Business and her MBA from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). She speaks fluent English, and is a native Chinese (Mandarin) speaker.